Means for controlling the nippers in heilmann and like combers



May 21, 1929. c. G EGAUFF 1,714,017

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE NIPPERS IN HEILIIANN AND LIKE COMBERS Filed July 18, 1928 Patented May 21, 192$).

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES GEGAUIF, or MULHOU-SE, HAUT-RHIN, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO .SOCIETE .ALSACIENNE DE CONSTRUCTIQNS MECHANIQUES, or MULHOU'SE, HAUT-RHIN,

V FRANCE.

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE NIP-FEES IN LIKE COMBERS.

Application filed July 18, 1928; Serial No. 293,535, and

My invention relates to-the type of comb- 7 er known asthe rectilinear type in which the an alternating translatory .movement between the circular comb and the detaching rollers, which are fixed in space, and'in which the path of the end of the upper jaw of the nippers is, during combing, tangential to the periphery of the circular comb and remains invariable while the lower jaw assumes a variable position which is regulated by the pressure of a spring imparting pressure to the closed nippers and which depends in consequence on the variable thickness of the la where it is gripped by the nippers.

in combers of this type it is absolutely necessary to avoid completely vibrations of' the end of the upper jaw of the nippers during combing so as to be able to regulate to a very small degree the distance between the end of the nippers and needle points of the circular comb in order to obtain proper'combing because this distance influences to a very great extent the character of the combed material. j

Existing combers may be divided under this heading into two classes, viz

Class 1. Those in which the end of the upper. jaw has a constantinvariablejpath, i. e. a path which is not dependent on accidental variations of the thickness of the lap combed. This class of machine is the most modern and most'perfect and it is this class to which they comber of the present invention belongs,

Class 2. Those in' which the accidental thickness of the lap influences the distance of the end of the upper jaw from the needles on the circular comb,i. e. those in which the distance is variable and increases considerably with the thickness of the lap. In plac .tice, however, such accidentalvariations in consequence of the irregularity in the thickness ofthe lap asalso during the times when a new lap is being attached, the old one being exhausted. l v i j It is clear'that in the second class the most desirable minimum distance between the nip pers and the needles cannot be obtained except at times when thelap is thinnest while at all other times when the lap is thicker this distance is increased by'the excess thickness of the lap so that the character of the combed "material will be lessqsatisfactory. Y

rangements adopted for said i Great Britain Au usta 1927.

My'invention relates more particularly to improvements .in the guiding mechanism of the lower jaw.-*The ac'com 'ianying drawings illustrate diagrammatically different arguiding mechanism. I

Referring to the drawings a Fig. 1 illustrates one form of construction showing the nippers in the combing position,

Fig. 2 showsthe sameconstruction, the

nippers being close to the "detaching rollers,

3 is a detail,

Fig. 4 is a second form of construction,

with the nippers in the combing position.

It has already been proposed to guide the upper jaw of the nippers in such manner that the end 6 of this jaw (see Fig. 1), during combing by the circular comb, is pressed directly and Without theinterpositionof any connecting members or intern'iediate levers against an absolutely fixed point Z "on the framework of the niachlne, 1. e. against a roller Z, the spindle Z of whichis fixed to the. H

framework itself.

This prevents any kind of vibration arising from the elasticity ofinterposed levers 01' from the play in connecting members interposed between the absolutely fixed point (the spindle Z) and the end 6 of the nippers. As soon asthe combing operation is completed the nippers advance towardsthe detaching rollers b, b and open progressively in'their passage due to the form of the cam m, the upper jaw of the nippers being at the same time continuously pressed against the roller Z (due to the action of a spring a).

The nippers having reached the detaching position in relation to the detaching rollers Z), Z) (seeig. 2) no longer possess the'same great'r1g1d1ty against vibrations and move-.

I ments which they possessed during the combthickness are constantly being produced in.

arms 10, and h, permit the ends '6 and f of the nippers to vibrate but this" is at the moment of detachment where precision and absolute immovability are no longer indispensable to the satisfactory operation of the comber'since the nippers are then opened and inoperative.

Nevertheless experience has shown that it was necessary in order to be able to obtain a high speed of movement of themachine to improve also the mechanism guiding the lower jaw i. e., causing the end f of the lower jaw to travel in the path 9, 9 (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1) which is necessary for operation. The means hitherto employed for this purpose are imperfect and act discontinuously: and suddenly at the moment the jaws are closed, that is to say, at the moment when the two ends 7" and e of the jaws meet in order to nip the lap shocks and consequent vibrations of the nippers are always produced which prevent the machine from working at high speeds.

The present invention has for ,itsobject improvements in the guiding mechanism of the lower jaw of the nippers so as to avoid these shocks of the closing of the nippers and in consequence also the vibrations which accompany them, permitting the machine to run more quickly.

These improvements are essentially charac terized by this that the guiding mechanism of the lower jaw is constituted by: a roller constantly pressed against a part, suitably profiled in the form of a cam, on the arm carrying the lower jaw of the nippers. This roller is able to yield very slightly by the effectof pressure from the cam, that to say, is capable of being displaced slightly, which displacement may be assmall as desired, i..e., practically nil; this very small displacement transmitting to the roller all the pressure of a permanently stretched spring and producing thus the pressure on the nippers without appreciable shock. I

Each arm carrying the lower ja .7 nippers is profiled on its lower side, between a and a in the form oi't acurved line cam) pressing continuously against the roller :0, the spindle m of which is fixed to a m )cr which may yield vei i slightly under the pllect of a certain pressure from the cam u, u

In the translatory movement of the ni'ppers' from combing toidetachmg position and vice versa, the roller as rolls over thecam a, a which is displaced, and the endof the lower jaw describes 'an approximately invariable trajectory g, g necessary for the operation.

The roller may thus have a very small displacement (whieh may be as small as desired, e. g. practically nil) at the moment the jaws are closed. This closure of thejaws results from the relative movement of the two ends f and e of the jaws, a movement produced by the form of the two cams m, m with the roller Z and u, u with the roller 0: by virtue of which the ends 7 and c approach one another during the displacement of the nippers towards the comb; at themoment when the two ends meet, their relative speed has become very low, practically nil, and the nip ping. pressure on thelap isproduced without shock by the very small displacement of the roller 90 then occurring. 1

The slight displacement of the roller 00 llx may produce the nipping pressure of the nippers on the lap as follows :The roller :0 is carried by a blade spring y (see Figs. 1, 2 and 3) or by a helical spring (see Fig. 4). This spring is not unconstrained but is in a state of permanent tensioni. -e., in a condition of permanent elastic deformation maintained by a stress preventing it from assuming its free form. This stress is produced in the construction shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 by the fixed arm (fixed to the finale f' of the machine), the regulating screw vof-which-serves as a fixed abutment, for the stretched spring y and bears in consequence the whole pressure due to the deformation of the spring; this deformation is indicated in Fig. 3 which shows in dottedlines at 13 the position which theroller it would naturally assume it the spring y werercleased, i. e. if the screw o and its arm a were removed.

It will be seen that it is sutlicient that the roller 00 should be pressed back by thecam a, a through an amountas small as desired, (for example a itractionof a millimeter) in order that the pressure of the spring which is exerted againstthe lfixed screwm. iseX- erted now entirely on the cam a, a and con sequently against the ends ot thenippers and may produce nipping. of the lap. The shock produced will be practically nil having regard tothe smallness of the movement communicated to the roller m.

As a variant of the constructioruthe arrangement employing the blade spring y shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 may be replaced by another having a coil spring 79 (see Fig. l).

The roller 50 is in this instance carried by a small arm 8 loose on a fixed spindle y carried by the frame 6 and thls armreceives directly the pressure of the compressed spring 3) (pre liminarily compressed by the: screw 7"" on the fixed armr) and t 'ansmits this pressure to the screw '3) which is fixed inspace. A very small movement of the rollers (assmall as desired) will be sufficient to transfer .the whole pressure of the springto the cam u, a, which has produced the small movement of the roller and this displacement of the point of application of the pressure will be effected without shock because of the smallness of the movement of the roller.

It has already been suggested. to guide the lower jaw by a roller noving overa. guide cam but in suchha. known arrangementfthe roller and the cam were rigidly fixed on their respective supports and conldnot in consequence prevent shocks at the moment of closure of the nippers.

What I claim is: j

1. In a comber of the Heilmann orflike type comprising a pair vofdetaching rollers with an interposed leather belt, a circular comb and nippers holding the lap to. be combed, which nippers are displaced tangentially relative to thecircular comb and LII receive an alternating translatory movement extending from said circular comb to the detaching rollers, in order to cause the lower jaw of said nippers to describe a desired trajectory, a mechanism comprising in combination: a first arm carrying the lower jaw of the'nippers and receiving an alternating translatory movement, a cam like rolling path providedon said arm, a yielding tensioned member provided to the framework of the comber, means adapted on said frame for adjusting the tension of the said memher and the normal position in space thereof, a roller carried by said member and pressed against said rolling path, a second arm hinged to the first arm and carrying the upper aw of the nippers, a rolling path profiled in form of a cam on said second arm, aroller provided to the framework of the comber and rolling against the path of the said second arm and resilient means acting as to open the said nippers, said combination being able to exert suitable elastic pressure on the jaws of the nippers without appreciable shock or vibration.

2. In a comber of the I-Ieilmann or like type, comprising a pair of detaching rollers with an interposed leather belt, ,a circular comb and nippers holding the lap to be combed, which nippers are displaced tangentially relative to the circular comb and receive an alternating translatory movement extendin g from said circular comb to said detaching rollers, a mechanism comprising in combination, a first arm carrying the lower jaw of the nippers and receiving an alternating translatory movement, a cam like rolling path provided on said arm, an elastical blade fixed to the framework of the comber and capable of being permanently stretched, a roller mounted on the yielding end of said blade, a rigid member fixed to the said framework and carrying means for adjusting the tension of said blade, 3. second arm carrying the -upper jaw of the nippers and hinged to the first type, comprising a pair of detaching rollers with an interposed leather belt, a circular comb and nippers holding the lap to be combed which nippers are displaced tangen tially relative to the circular comb and receive an alternating translatory movement extending from said circular comb to the detaching rollers, a mechanism comprising in combination: a first arm carrying the lower jaw of the nippers and receiving an alternating translatory movement, a cam like rolling path provided on said arm, a roller fixed to the end of a small arm pivotally mounted at a fixed point of the framework of the comber, a spring acting against said end of the small arm, a first adjustable abutment adapted to the frame of the comber for limiting themovement of said end of the small arm, a second adjustable abutment provided on said framework for adjusting the tension of said spring, a second arm hinged to the first and carrying the upper jaw of the nippers, a

rolling path profiled in form of a cam and provided on the said second arm, a roller 7 mounted on the frame of the comberand rolltion. In witness whereof I aflix my signature.

CHARLES GEGAUFF. 

